The Impact Fellows Program was designed to bring together a diverse cohort of Boston professionals to dig deeper into what it means to strengthen the community through volunteering. The Impact Fellows explored complexities and nuances of volunteer projects as well as the power imbalance between nonprofits and their corporate partners. The program is based on Building Impact's model of listening first to nonprofit needs, co-designing a project, and then serving and measuring the impact.
As part of the business development team at Building Impact, I am often the first person on the phone with a working professional planning a day of service. They are passionate and ready to jump in and get their hands dirty. Passionate and ready to get their hands dirty is a great mindset to start in, but impact volunteering requires a step backward first. Before we start ordering supplies and coordinating transportation, we want to think first about the mission of the day. Project leaders need to think about the issue area they are concerned with, training volunteers to work with client populations, and the outcomes for the nonprofit. Then we can focus on acquiring budget, recruiting volunteers, and executing the project. Overall, the process of planning a day of impact volunteering requires a wide range of professional and interpersonal skills.
EIN: 30-0212115